Baby Enigma
by KaneLovesTristen
Summary: A little girl with a broken heart is found backstage after a live event. Jeff Hardy wants to help her heal. Can he gain her trust and her love? CONTAINS ABUSE
1. Meeting Ali

The small blonde four-year-old hid behind a crate as the man who referred to himself as her father walked past, angrily muttering.

"Alisha Sierra Torrez! Get your ass out here!"

Whimpering, she crouched further into her hiding spot before bolting for the nearest door and pounding on it.

A black-haired little girl answered the door.

"Hello?"

"Help me."

The little girl pulled Alisha inside and locked the door.

"Mommy!"

Tristen Jacobs walked out of the bathroom to see her daughter trying to calm down a shaking child.

"Emmy? Baby who is this?"

"I don't know! She was pounding on our door. Mommy she has owies on her everywhere."

Tristen's eyes widened as he saw various bruises and burns dotting the child's body.

"Emmy, sweetie, I need you to stay in here and keep the door locked. I'm gonna go find Daddy and Uncle Mark, okay?"

Ember was sniffling by this point, but she nodded.

"We gonna help her, right momma?"

"Yes, Emmy Bear."

Jeff Hardy limped backstage, wincing. That Swanton had taken a lot out of him.

He watched as Tristen Jacobs raced by, then stopped and ran back to him.

"Nero!"

"Girl do not call me Nero," he said jokingly.

"Shut up. I need a favor."

"What?"

"I need you to go watch Ember and another little girl for me. They're in my locker room."

Jeff nodded.

"I will."

"Thank you."

Jeff walked to the locker room, knocking on the door.

"Little Enigma!"

He heard sniffling from behind the door.

"Emmy? Emmy open the door."

The door swung open and a pair of arms wrapped around his waist,

"Unca Jeff."

"Emmy what's wrong?"

He walked in and saw a little girl huddled in the corner, crying.

"Emmy? Who's this?"

"Ali. She has a bunch of owies Unca Jeff."

Jeff crouched next to the little girl.

"Sweetheart?"

Ali looked up to see a man with orange and green hair looking down at her.

"You okay there, angel eyes?"

She whimpered and looked over at the other little girl.

"Emmy?"

"It okay, Ali. He's nice."

Jeff sat back and waited, until finally Ali lifted her head and wiped her eyes.

"You not gonna hit me?"

He froze and shook his head.

"No, baby. I'm not gonna hit you."

"Promise?"

"I pinkie swear, little cat."

She curled her finger around his and he smiled.


	2. Protect the Cub

Jeff carried the little girl back to his locker room, setting her on the bench.

"You alright, kitten?"

Ali nodded, still a bit unsure about this man.

"What's your name?", she asked timidly, then quickly put her hands over her mouth. Dominic hated when she asked questions.

Jeff's eyes narrowed at the gesture.

"My name is Jeff. Why are you covering your mouth like that?"

"I not 'posed to ask questions."

"Why?"

"They make Dominic mad. I don't wanna get hurted tonight."

His heart stopped and he felt nothing but pure anger.

"Little kitten, come here."

Ali walked over to him slowly, knowing that any sign of disobedience would earn her extra punishment.

Jeff pulled her into his arms and she stiffened, then yelped as he touched her back.

The rainbow-haired man looked at her in confusion.

"You okay?"

Ali shook her head and whimpered.

"My back hurts."

"Can I look? I promise I won't touch it, sweetie, I just want to see."

Biting her lip, the little girl nodded, pulling her shirt up. Jeff fought not to throw up then and there.

Old scars and fresh cuts covered the expanse of skin, not to mention what looked like cigarette burns on top of all the damage.

"You poor baby. Who did this to you?"

"Dominic. I wasn't fast enough with his beer so he beat me, then p-put his cigarettes on me."

Jeff growled and pulled out his phone, calling his brother.

"Hey Jeff!"

"How fast can you get here from Cameron?"

"A day, why?"

"I might need you to bail me out of jail. Get here fast."

He hung up the phone and turned to the little girl, smiling.

"What do you say we get some pizza?"

"I'm not allowed to eat unless Dominic says it's okay."

"Well I say it's okay, kitten. Alright? I'll tell him I said it was okay."

She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"But he'll hit you!"

"I'd rather have him hit me than you, kitten," Jeff thought to himself.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I can take a hit. What kind of pizza do you want?"

She was quiet for a moment and he closed his eyes.

"Do you like Hawaiian pizza? It's got ham and pineapple on it."

"O-okay."

Jeff smiled at her.

"Alright. Let's go get some pizza."

They drove to Pizza Hut and Jeff ordered a medium Hawaiian pizza and some breadsticks, along with two sodas.

Ali looked at him with wide eyes.

"I get my own soda?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, doll."

The pizza arrived and Jeff was amazed to see the girl eat four pieces in the span of an hour.

"You hungry there, kitten?"

Ali nodded and kept eating.

"I haven't eaten since Monday."

That pissed Jeff off.

"You can eat as much as you like, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you mister Jeff."

"You're welcome."

They ate pizza until Ali said she was full. Then Jeff loaded her into the car and drove her to the hotel while she talked about various Pokemon.

He smiled at her in the rear view mirror. Jeff was already in love with this sweet little girl, and if Dominic ever showed up he would get a lesson on what happened when Jeff was angry.


	3. Alicat's Nightmare

(This is now a collab with my twinsie, kaseyisanonymous! Thanks for letting me borrow Jezebelle, chickie!)

Jeff sat on the bed in the hotel room, trying to decide if this was going to work.

Ali whimpered and he put a hand over hers, silently trying to reassure her.

"Hell with it," he said to himself as he texted his girlfriend Jezebelle.

-Come to my room. We need 2 talk-

He heard Ali mumbling but couldn't quite make out the words.

"It's alright, Ali-cat. You're safe."

Jezebelle walked in and froze, seeing Ali laying on the bed.

"Whose little girl is this?"

Jeff took a breath and began.

"You remember when I was coming back from that match? Tristen asked me to watch Ember?"

Jezebelle nodded.

"But it wasn't just Ember. Ember was trying to hide Ali from her father. She'd gotten away from him and was hiding backstage."

He watched as she looked at Ali's back, worried that she might leave.

"That's okay, I know where this is going, Jeff."

"Okay, where am I going with it?"

"Jeff, are you trying to see if I'm going to get up and walk out that door because you're going to do this? Because I'm not. Look.. When I said I love you when you came to visit during my down time, I meant it. No matter what, I'm not going anywhere."

Ali started to mumble, which worried Jeff. He got more worried when she put her hands up as if to protect herself.

*Ali's dream*

"WHERE ARE YOU YOU WORTHLESS BRAT?"

Ali scooted further back into her closet, crying silently. She hadn't meant to spill her water on his bed, it was an accident.

"YOU BETTER COME OUT OR IT'LL BE WORSE!"

The closet door was ripped open and Ali screamed.

"I'm sorry, daddy! It was an accident! I won't do it again!"

"Damn right you won't," he said as he dragged her out. "You're gonna learn."

"NO DADDY! DON'T HIT ME AGAIN! I'LL BE GOOD I PROMISE! ONE MORE CHANCE DADDY PLEASE!"

He threw her into the living room and she cowered under the table.

"You will learn," Dominic hissed. "You'll learn if I have to beat you for the rest of your worthless life."

He grabbed the chain off of the couch and started to hit her with it, ignoring the screams.

"DADDY PLEASE STOP!"

"No."

Ali went unconscious after two hours and Dominic stopped, panting and walking away to leave her in a puddle of blood.

*REALITY*

Ali bolted upright, panting and looking around wildly before her eyes settled on Jeff.

Then she saw the girl. Her eyes widened and she looked back at Jeff, afraid and confused.

Jeff nodded and Ali let out a breath.

"You okay, sweetie?"

She nodded.

"W-was havin a bad dream," she whispered.

"What about, sweetie?"

Ali whimpered a bit and Jeff put a hand on hers.

"It's okay, baby kitten. You can talk to us."

"My old daddy was hurting me."

Jeff stiffened a bit and Jezebelle frowned.

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"I Ali."

Jezebelle smiled and Ali relaxed a hair. Maybe she could trust her.

"That's a pretty name, Ali baby. I'm Jezebelle, Jeff's girlfriend."

The blonde pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

"You mad at me?", she asked quietly.

"No, Ali Baby, but I wanted to ask you... What's your old daddy's name?"

Ali gulped and looked down.

"Dominic."

Were they gonna take her back to him?

Jeff could tell she was scared.

"Ali-cat, come here."

She crawled over to Jeff and put her face in his shirt.

"I don't wanna go back."

"Don't worry, kitten. I won't let that happen."

"You won't ever have to worry about him again, Ali baby."

"O-okay."

"I'll be right back."

Jezebelle got up and left, confusing Ali.

"Is she leaving us?", the little girl asked after the door closed.

"No Ali-cat. She's just going to her room for a minute."

"I like her, mister Jeff. She's pretty."

"She is, huh kitten?"

"Yeah. Reminds me of my old mommy."

Jezebelle came back ten minutes later, arms loaded with various things, including millions of stuffed animals.

Ali's eyes widened as the animals were set on the bed and she looked up at Jezebelle.

"Those.. Are yours. They guarded me at night since I was your age, Ali. Now they can guard you, because I have Jeff, so I'm safe."

"I get all these?", she asked in disbelief.

"Yes you do."

Ali scooted closer to her dad's girlfriend, smiling.

"Can we watch Powerpuff Girls?"

Jeff smiled as Jezebelle grabbed the remote, switching the channel. Ali curled up and laid her head in Jeff's lap, and for a moment Ali forgot that these weren't her birth parents.

For the first time in her life, Ali felt like someone's daughter.


	4. That Didn't Go So Well

Ali giggled and ran from her dad, weaving through the mass of bodies.  
"You not gonna catch me! I speedy fast like Sonic!"  
Jeff laughed and kept running, scooping her up into a hug.  
"Caught you, Alicat."  
Giggling, the blonde toddler wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.  
"Love you Daddy."  
Jeff froze for a moment before returning the hug.  
"I love you too, Ali. You're my little girl."  
"Promise?"  
"I promise."

"Yay! Ooh can we go meet somebody?"  
Thinking for a moment, Jeff grinned.  
"How about we go meet Uncle Matt?"

Matt Hardy sat in the locker room, idly playing with his Hardy Boyz necklace. The same necklace he'd given to Amy.  
"Yo Matt, you in here?"  
"Yeah Jeff."  
Jeff walked in, and Matt raised an eyebrow at the little girl hiding behind his leg.  
"Who's the kid?"  
"She's my daughter Ali."  
Ali peeked out, then ducked back as Matt walked over to her.  
"You went and had a kid? Are you insane, Jeff? How the hell are we gonna raise a kid on the road? Get rid of her."  
Jeff narrowed his eyes.  
"No."  
"No? NO? Jeff, we can't raise her!"  
"I'm not getting rid of her, Matt. She's mine. This is my little girl."  
"No she isn't! Who did you knock up, huh?"  
The Rainbow-Haired Warrior growled and stepped back, shielding Ali from his crazy brother.  
"I'm not getting rid of Ali. End of story."  
"Fine. Sooner or later, that brat is gonna cost you something. And when she does, don't come crying to me."

He stormed out of the locker room and slammed the door, causing Ali to jump and look up.  
"Daddy?"  
"Yes, Kitten?"  
"He doesn't like me."  
Jeff sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
"No baby, he just doesn't like my decision."

Ali sniffled and wiped her eyes before reaching up to Jeff.  
"Up, Daddy?"  
Smiling, he picked her up and gave a kiss on the forehead.  
"I love you, baby girl."  
"I love you too Daddy."  
"I'm never gonna let you go, got it? You are my little girl, and I love you."  
Ali stuck her thumb in her mouth and looked up at him.


	5. Road Trip

Ali sat in the locker room with her bear, quietly watching Powerpuff Girls.  
Her dad was sitting on the opposite side of the locker room, head in his hands.  
"Daddy?"  
Jeff looked up at her, putting on a fake smile.  
"Yeah baby girl?"  
"You mad at me for making Uncle Matt mad?"  
"No, Alicat. It wasn't your fault. Uncle Matt and I have had problems for years."  
"But I made him mad."  
"I know, baby girl. But it's not your fault, okay?"  
"Promise?"  
"I promise."  
Ali walked over to him and hugged his neck.  
"Love you, Daddy."  
"Love you too, Kitten. Now, come to the door for a second. I got you a surprise."  
Ali opened the door and squealed.  
"Mommy!"  
Jezebelle crouched and hugged the little girl she'd come to think of as her daughter.  
"Hi, baby. You okay?"  
"Yeah. Daddy not though. Uncle Matt upset him."  
Jeff sighed and hugged them both.  
"I'm fine now, okay Alicat?"  
"You sure, Daddy?"  
"Yes."  
"Kay."  
Ali bounced off to the couch and put in her headphones, listening to Mudvayne.  
Jeff turned to Jezebelle and shook his head.  
"What am I gonna do?"  
"Avoid him, or just let me kick him in his ass."  
Chuckling, he kissed her forehead and they sat on each side of Ali.  
She looked up at Jeff and pulled out her earbuds.  
"Daddy?"  
"Hmm?"  
"Do I have any other uncles?"  
Jeff grinned. Oh she'd love this.  
"We're going to see them tomorrow, Kitten."  
"Kay."

The next morning, Jeff woke Ali up before the sun rose, shaking her slightly.  
"Alicat, come on. We're going to meet your uncles today."  
"I'm sleepy, Daddy."  
"You can sleep in the car, okay? But we have to get dressed."  
Ali groaned and sat up, pulling her nightshirt over her head.  
"Can I wear one of your shirts, Daddy?"  
"Of course."  
He handed her one of his Team Extreme shirts and she handed it back.  
"Not that one."  
"Why? Oh."  
Ali picked up his shirt from yesterday and pulled it over her head.  
"This one!"  
"That one's dirty, baby."  
"I wants it though," Ali said quietly.  
Jeff heard her sniffling and he hugged her.  
"Okay, okay. Wear the shirt, Alicat."  
She looked up at him and smiled.  
"Thanks Daddy."  
"Hurry and get dressed so we can go get breakfast burritos."  
Her eyes lit up and he laughed.  
"You love those, huh kiddo?"  
"Yeah!"  
Jeff picked her up and set her on his shoulders, carrying her out of the room down to the buffet.

Ember Jacobs sat at a table with her omelette, quietly picking out the green peppers.  
"Emmy, just eat them please?"  
"But Mommy, I hate green peppers. I keep telling you."  
Tristen sighed.  
"I know, Emmy. Pick them out if you don't want them, okay?"  
Jeff walked up to the table with Ali perched on his shoulders and grinned at them.  
"Hey."  
Ember hugged her uncle and looked up at Ali.  
"Hi. Wanna sit with us?"  
Ali nodded and looked down at Tristen.  
"You helped me last week."  
Tristen smiled and nodded.  
"You're right, sweetie. How are you doing?"  
"Good. Thanks for hiding me."  
"No problem. Let me know if that guy comes back, okay?"  
"Kay."  
Jeff set her down and walked over to the buffet, wrinkling his nose at the smell of mushrooms.  
"Eww. Hate mushrooms."  
"Hey."  
He turned to see Mickie James looking up at him with a bright smile.  
"Hi."  
"That your little girl? She's a cutie."  
"Yeah. Thanks."  
She stood there, smiling at him.  
"So, Jeff, do you wanna go get pizza or something? You can bring her if you want."  
Jezebelle walked up to them and narrowed her eyes.  
"James."  
Mickie turned and paled, then quickly scurried away.

"Yeah that's what I thought. How's Ali?"  
Ali ran up to her and hugged her leg, looking up.  
"Hi Mommy."  
Jez picked her up and handed her a candy cane, smiling.  
"Hey baby girl."  
"Some lady was trying to flirt with Daddy. I don't like her."  
"Me either, sweetheart."  
Jeff handed them some burritos and they walked out of the hotel and got in the car.

Ali sat in the backseat, listening to Bush's Adrenaline and watching the scenery as they drove to North Carolina.  
Jeff sat up front, wondering how this was going to go down. He knew Matt would be there, so he was going to keep Ali as far away from Matt as he could. Shannon and Shane would probably love the little girl, given how they acted like small children.  
And his dad...  
"Belle, how do you think my dad's gonna react? I mean, Ali's not mine."  
"That shouldn't matter, Jeff. She loves you like she's your kid, and you're the best dad I've ever known, aside from mine. Even if Ali's not yours by blood, you look at her like a daughter, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"Then it shouldn't matter."  
Jeff nodded and looked at Ali in the mirror.  
She was his kid. Maybe not by blood, but she was definitely his.  
"Ali?"  
The blonde and pink-haired toddler took out her headphones and looked at him.  
"Yes Daddy?"  
"No matter what happens today, I want you to remember that I will always love you. Okay?"  
"What's gonna happen, Daddy?"  
"I don't know, but if something does, always remember that I love you."  
She smiled at him.  
"Love you too Daddy."


	6. Gone

Ali got out of the car and looked at the house with wide eyes.  
"You have a dirtbike track?"  
"Yep. And if you want, I'll teach you how to ride."  
She looked down and shuffled her feet awkwardly, confusing Jeff.  
"Ali?"  
"What?"  
"Look at me."  
Her blue eyes met his and he crouched to her level.  
"What's the matter, baby girl?"  
"What if they tell you to get rid of me like Uncle Matt did? I don't wanna go back, Daddy."  
Jeff pulled her into a hug and smoothed her hair as she cried into his shoulder.  
"Shh, Alicat. I won't take you back. I promise."  
"Even if they tell you to?"  
He nodded and kissed her forehead.  
"You're my little girl, remember? I'm not giving you back to anybody."  
Ali sniffled and wiped her eyes.  
"Promise?"  
"I promise, baby."

Shannon Moore sat on Jeff's couch, playing Xbox against Shane Helms.  
"I'm so gonna beat you, Helms."  
"Keep dreaming."  
A knock on the door made them pause their game as Shane went to open it.  
"Jeff! What are you doing here, man?"  
"I can't come home?"  
Shane laughed and opened the door wider, noticing the little girl holding Jeff's hand.  
"Cute, man. This Kane's little girl?"  
Shannon walked over to the door and saw his best friend standing there with a little girl.  
"This must be Ember."  
Ali shook her head and looked down.  
"I Ali," she mumbled.  
Crouching, the tattooed Superstar smiled at her.  
"Hi Ali. I'm Shannon."  
"That girl's name," Ali said quickly before covering her mouth and backing away.  
Shannon looked up at Jeff, who was closing his eyes and trying not to punch something.  
Jezebelle followed Ali over to the swing in the front yard, gesturing for the guys to get Jeff in the house.

Jeff sat down on the couch with his hands clenched, trying not to show any anger.  
"Why are you so upset, man? I didn't purposely try to scare her."  
"I know, Shannon. It's not you I'm mad at. Ali's not actually mine."  
"We figured, man."  
Sighing, Jeff launched into the story of how he found Ali and what her circumstances had been before.  
When he finished, both Shane and Shannon had looks of rage on their faces.  
"Please tell me we can help you kick his ass."  
"Of course."  
Shane turned and slammed his hand into the doorframe, snarling.  
"Who does that to a little kid, man? A little girl?"  
"Dominic Torrez."  
They turned to see Ali with tearstains on her face, looking up at them.  
"His name is Dominic Torrez."  
Jeff slid off the couch and picked her up, whispering in her ear.  
"Shh, it's okay Alicat. Don't cry."  
She looked over his shoulder at Shannon and his heart cracked.  
"Hi, little Dreamer. You alright?"  
She nodded and squirmed out of Jeff's arms before walking over to Shannon.  
"I sorry mister Shannon for saying mean stuff."  
"That wasn't mean, little one. It was actually pretty funny because my mom wanted a baby girl named Shannon."  
Ali brightened a little.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. So I got stuck with the name, instead."  
She giggled and gave him a hug.  
"You funny, mister Shannon."  
"I try, sweetheart. I try."

Matt sat in the car, eyes narrowed as he looked at the little girl walking down the road with his best friend.  
His phone rang and he picked it up, never taking his eyes off of her.  
"Hey."  
_"Where is she?"  
_"In Cameron with my brother. You better come get her."  
_"I'm on my way, Matt. Keep her there."  
_"Got it. Are you sure she won't be found?"  
_"I'm sure. After this, your brother will forget about that little brat completely."  
_"Better keep it that way, Dominic. Or Mickie won't ever get to be with Jeff."

Shannon walked with Ali to a gas station, leading her inside.  
"I gotta use the bathroom real quick, alright? Go pick out a candy bar and wait for me by the register."  
"Okay mister Shannon."  
Ali skipped around the store, not noticing the man following her around until he put a rag over her face. She struggled, but became weak as the chloroform began to work.  
"Welcome home, Alisha."

Walking out of the bathroom, Shannon looked around for Ali, becoming worried as he noticed she was nowhere in the store.  
The sound of squealing tires drew his attention as he ran outside, but it was too late.  
He called Jeff immediately, barely able to tell him what happened before breaking down in tears.

Jeff opened his phone to answer the call.  
"Shan?  
"Ali...Car...Gone...Kidnapped!"  
The rainbow-haired Superstar fainted.


	7. Jez Gets Involved

Ali woke up in the back of a truck, arms tied behind her back and a cloth loosely tied around her mouth.  
She rolled onto her stomach carefully, not wanting to let her kidnappers know she was awake, and looked up at the driver's seat.  
Dominic was driving the car, and Matt was sitting in the passenger seat, asleep.  
"Finally awake, Alisha?"  
Feeling defiant, Ali refused to answer, until he jerked the car and caused her to hit her head on the window. Wincing in pain, she looked at the mirror through watery eyes.  
"Defiance won't work anymore, brat. You're mine."  
Ali shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him, until Matt smacked her across the face.  
"You better start behaving or it's going to cost you."  
Ducking her head, the four-year-old let a tear roll down her face unseen. All she wanted to do was go home to her dad.  
"Daddy Jeff..."

Jeff sat on the porch, his stringy hair falling around his red eyes. Not sleeping and eating for a week had taken its toll on the Superstar, but he felt like it was useless without his little girl there.  
"Alicat...Where are you, baby girl?"  
He looked down at his necklace, thoughts slowing for a moment, before his eyes widened and he ran inside.  
"Guys! We can get her back!"  
Shane looked up at his best friend with a confused expression.  
"How?"  
"The necklaces me and Matt wear are chipped, bro. Every Hardy necklace is chipped, which means Ali's is too."  
Shannon looked at him with a grin.  
"Dude, you think ahead!"  
"Where's your laptop, Shan?"  
Shannon pulled out his computer and Jeff plugged the USB-chipped necklace into the hard drive, bringing up both Matt and Ali's signals.  
"We got her!"  
"Where?"  
"Just outside of Holly Springs."  
Jezebelle walked inside with her helmet on.  
"I'm going."  
"No, Belle. Matt will know something's up. Hey Shan, you still got Glenn's little sister on speed-dial?"  
"Yeah."  
"Call her. Tell her to take her bike and drive up here."

Jezebel Jacobs walked out of her art studio with her cellphone, talking to Shannon.  
"He did what?"  
_"Kidnapped Jeff's little girl. We found her though."  
_"So what do I need to do?"  
_"Go get her back."_  
"Easily done. I'll call Glenn and Mark, see if one of them can't come with me."  
_"Thanks, Jez."  
_"No problem, Shan. Hey, when I get there, you wanna have dinner or something?"  
_"Love to, sweetheart."  
_Jez grinned and hung up, then turned to her neice.  
"Hey Emmy, you wanna go on a road trip?"  
Ember Jacobs looked up and nodded.  
"Who we gonna go see?"  
"Uncle Jeff and Uncle Shane and Uncle Shannon."  
"Cool! And Ali?"  
Jez froze, then nodded.  
"We're picking her up along the way, girlie."  
"Okay."  
Picking the girl up, Jezebel put on the small helmet that Tristen had sent.  
"Emmy, your mom is so paranoid."  
Ember giggled and hugged her aunt.  
"I know."


End file.
